What is This?
Welcome to Gameplan for Growth: Our 2024 Comprehensive Planning Effort
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If we’re to become a championship city, it’s going to take teamwork. What can we do together to overcome our challenges? How can we invest our talents and resources to build a stronger, more prosperous community?
Growth, development and economic opportunity. Transportation options for everyone. Better city services and preservation of the good bones that strengthen downtown and our historic neighborhoods.
That's the field we’re playing on. And we’re playing to win.
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Taking Bessemer's Plan 2040 to the next level
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You may recall 2020-21 when the Bessemer community created Vision 2040, the broad summary of our "vision, mission, values, strategic areas of focus, and specific goals" for the next 20 years. Gameplan for Growth, the comprehensive planning initiative now underway, is a follow up to that effort: taking the what of Vision 2040 and developing the how — augmenting our vision for the future with policies and actions that can bring it to life.
Like a gameplan, a Comprehensive Plan is all about strategy, laying out our intentions for future growth policy, transportation, infrastructure, public services, and preservation. You'll have multiple opportunities to contribute, both online and in-person, as we move from an affirmed vision for the future to strategies and action steps to get us where we need to be.
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Take a look around, learn more about the process, share information with your neighbors, and come be a part of it. Together we can lay out a gameplan for creating a championship city.
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What is a Comprehensive Plan?A Comprehensive Plan is a policy document — a gameplan, really — used by city leaders, developers, business owners, and residents to make decisions about future growth, development, infrastructure, and related improvements. Its policies inform land use and capital investment decisions over time, ensuring such decisions are not arbitrary, but rather thoughtfully planned as part of a community-driven, long-range vision for the city.
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Why is this important to me?You have a vested interest in the city and the decisions it makes in the coming years. Decisions rooted in shared principles and agreed-upon priorities are those that best serve the interest of residents. Gameplan for Growth will identify these principles and priorities and distill from them a gameplan for the city's future. This creates an environment of accountability and predictability over time, building increased trust between residents and city leadership.
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What role does the community play?Over the course of the planning process, residents, business owners, landowners, and others will reaffirm the community vision developed during Vision 2040. What areas of Bessemer need to grow or change? What are some specific uses or opportunities you'd like to see here. More retail? More entertainment destinations? More parks? More offices? The community will then be tasked with review of and comment on the draft plan prior to its ultimate consideration by the city's Planning Commission.
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How long will it take to complete?Typically 9 months to a year. We begin by working with the community to understand issues and challenges, and to affirm the shared vision for the future of Bessemer. The planning team then prepares a draft plan based on the community’s vision and goals. Public meetings, open houses and online methods are utilized throughout to get input and public comments. Then ultimately, the plan goes before the City’s Planning Commission for adoption and the City Council for endorsement.
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Who's running the process?Gameplan for Growth is a project of the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB) together with the City of Bessemer, its residents, and planning + design consultant firm, PlaceMakers.
Gameplan for Growth Project Team
Together with the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB), the city is working on its Gameplan for Growth with a consultant team led by PlaceMakers, a community planning group.
